Lake Pickett development Sustanee draws local attention 

Folks in Greater Oviedo and Winter Springs are watching a proposed nearly 1,800-home development in east Orange County called Sustanee, which is just south of the Seminole County line in the Lake Pickett area. The development has the potential to impact traffic and more for residents in the Oviedo area and beyond.  

The 1,400-acre development would require a change to Orange County’s land use map from rural agricultural to planned development, allowing up to 1,789 single-family homes, 90,000 square feet of community space for amenities, multi-purpose trails, and 18 acres of public facilities, including sites for a middle or K-8 public school and a fire station, according to Orange County documents. 

More than 150 residents showed up to a community meeting concerning the development on Jan. 15. Greater Oviedo and Winter Springs social media groups are riddled with posts about the project and large signs dot Chuluota streets, spreading the word about the proposal. The Orange County Commission will hold a public hearing about Sustanee on Tuesday, Jan. 23. The meeting starts at 9 a.m. Find the agenda here and watch the meeting here.

According to a county staff report, residents’ concerns expressed during the Jan. 15 meeting include “urban sprawl, incompatibility, traffic, safety to bicyclists and pedestrians, and impacts to existing communities and the environment, including wildlife, water quality, and flooding.”  

The staff report also included input from county planning and zoning commission members at its Dec. 14 meeting where the board voted 5-3 in approval of the project. Those who voted against Sustanee voiced concern over compatibility with adjacent rural property and conservation areas. Those who voted in favor of it cited the need for housing and its proximity to other residential developments. 

According to the development website, the plans for 1,400 acres would house eight neighborhoods, interconnected with nature and bike trails that would connect to the University of Central Florida and the Research Parkway. It also states that 860 of the 1,400 acres would be “left open spaces and nature.” The proposed development is near the site of where developer Chris Dorworth’s 669-acre proposed development, River Cross, was shot down by Seminole County Commissioners in 2018. 

Find Orange County’s staff report on the proposed amendment: